Slimmers from Royston and the surrounding areas were over the moon to raise thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK by giving up clothes that no longer fit them.

Slimming world consultant Lesley Thornalley-Grey accepts some donations from a Slimming World member. Picture: Danny Loo

The Slimming World members, led by Sandra Lloyd, set up their collection in the Tesco car park on Saturday – and were thrilled to get 275 bags full, which amounts to £7,500 for the charity.

Sandra told the Crow: “It was fantastic, I was absolutely blown away by the response we had.

“For the consultants to get the message out there and to see how much the members donated, it was emotional to see the end result.

“It was an uplifting day for the members who came down. Everyone was chatting and having a good time.

Some of the bags of clothes collected by Slimming World for Cancer Research. Picture: Danny Loo

“This is the first time we have done the fundraiser like this – before it would all be done through consultants, but that doesn’t create the community spirit and we want to show people what we were doing.

“So we set up at Tesco and everyone could see what was going on, and we want to thank Tesco for letting us use a chunk of their car park.”

She added: “These clothes aren’t old or tatty, there’s some good stuff in there. When people are bigger they tend to wear more comfortable outfits, clothes they can hide in – so this shows them leaving that behind as they continue on their weight loss journey.”

As well as Sandra – Jo Mitchell, Angela Andersen, Lesley Thornalley-Grey, Lynsey Langdon and Alison Walker manned the stall on the day.